Wishes (Year One)

I panned through the crowd of people. Savvy and Oliver introduced me to all the people I needed to know. Savvy sat with me, sipping her drink.

"Why won't you drink?" she asked me. I looked at her and pointed to the guy leaning against the wall by the keg. She rolled her eyes, "So? That's why there is alcohol in the kitchen. If yeh drink I will distract 'im."

"Well then who would I hang out with?" I asked. She looked around. Her eyes lit up.

"Oli. It'll give ya time to get to know each other." She smiled brightly I rolled my eyes this time.

"I came here to hang out with you. I don't need to drink." I said but she was already getting up and running to Oliver's side and whispering in his ear. His face broke into a small smile and he looked at me and then made his way over. Finally he was in front of me and Savvy wasn't here anymore. He stuck out his hand. I looked at it and then looked to the wall where Savvy had now joined Chris. He was smirking and she had a hand on his arm. Then they left. I looked at Oliver and he gave me a smile and moved his hand closer.

"Drink?" I asked making a face as I took his hand and stood up.

"Yes drink. Come on Sammeh. Yeh only live once." He chuckled. I was tired of people talking about my life. I mean I know they didn't know but I did and every time they made a reference it really hit me. Was I not living life this whole time. The road map my parents had set out ahead of me for my life, was that not good enough to please these people? Was it good enough to please me?

"You ok?" Oliver asked as he pour the alcohol into two shot glasses. I examined in when he handed it to me. I heard him chuckling.

"It's vodka." He said. I smelt it and scrunched up my face and he laughed again.

"It smells like rubbing alcohol." I said. He shrugged and held his halfway between us.

"Cheers?" He questioned. I went back an forth between the shot glass and his face. He had a confident grin. I stared still.

"Only on 3 conditions." I said holding up 3 fingers. He nodded. "You keep me from my brother, you don't let me make a fool of myself, and you stay with me and not leave me alone." I stared at him. He nodded. I stuck out my pinky. "Pinky promise." He chuckled and laced his pinky with mine. I smiled. and then clinked my shot glass with his.

"Cheers." I said. We both took the shots. I made a face as soon as it hit my taste buds and wanted to spit it out. But I didn't I forced myself to swallow it. I was so focused on the liquid in my mouth I hadn't noticed Oliver laughing at me. I glared at him and he put up his hands defensively.

"Sorry. Yer funny." he said with a content smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile too.

"Well I'm not taking shots anymore. That was the nastiest thing ever." I said. He laughed again.

"It's all good. I'll get yeh a mix drink." I watched as he made my drink. "I promise not teh make it teh strong for yeh." He chuckled. I slapped his arm and he handed my the drink. I took a sip of it. it wasn't bad. It was orange juice and I could smell the rubbing alcohol and taste it a bit, even though it technically wasn't.

"Let's go out back." he said as he led the way through the crowded house. Out in the backyard I spotted some of the friends he had introduced me to earlier. We sat with them and talked. I was drinking my drink. it took me about 10 minutes to finish.

"Want another?" Oliver asked.

"It's cool. I can get it." I smiled as I went to stand up. I felt dizzy and myself wobble already. I mean I know I wasn't drunk but I was definitely feeling the affects of the alcohol. I looked at Oliver and he was smiling knowingly at me. I flipped him off and handed him my cup. He got up and went back into the house. Who was this? This wasn't the same Samantha Brooks. I never drank or went to parties. I never really talked to boys or flipped anyone off. I never hung out with people I knew my mom wouldn't approve of. That was Chris' thing.

"So tell us bout yerself there, Sam." the guy who I think name was Curtis, said.

"Um. I'm Chris' sister, I'm 17 almost 18." I said.

"Oh! So YER THAT Samantha." He said. Tom elbowed him in the side and then came and sat next to me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothin. Don't listen to 'im." Tom smiled. I just laughed and shrugged it off.

"So did ya party back in the states?" Matt K asked. I shook my head no.

"Never my scene. That was Chris' thing. I was always the good child." I laughed.

"Well ya certainly are not now. I mean yer at a party with a bunch o' 'oodlums and bad people, drinkin' and smokin'." Lee laughed out. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. So I've I noticed." I laughed. Oliver came back and Tom moved from his seat. We continued on with the night, joking and laughing in the back yard but I still had a small tugging in the back of my mind, warning me to be careful.

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I was a little past tipsy. I hung to Oliver as he led our way through the house. I watched him the whole time. I wasn't going to lie at all, he was so handsome and the tattoos and piercings fit him well. For some reason my body took over my mind. I rubbed his arm and I saw him look at me in the corner of his eye. I looked at him and then did something unexpected. Since we were in an empty hallways I just stopped. He of course stopped too.

"What?" he asked. I then connected my lips with his. He was a great kisser. This wasn't anything like last night's kiss. Not at all. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he set his hands on my waist and pulled me closer. Just as it was getting more heated I heard laughing.

"Wow. I should've fucking knew it. What the fuck, man? You're supposed to be my fucking friend." I heard Chris' voice. I pulled apart from Oliver and looked. There was Chris with Savvy standing behind him, looking sorry. Chris looked pissed.

"I'm so sorry man. I didn't mean to." Oliver said. Chris just rolled his eyes and looked at me.

"You're such a whore." The words came from his lips like venom shooting into my bloodstream. I froze up as the tears came to my eyes. He turned and walked away. Savvy came towards me and wrapped her arms around me as I broke down. Oliver just stood there, zoned out. I looked at him and he looked at me and shot me a glare and left the same way Chris had gone. I then began to cry more. Savvy rubbed my back comfortingly.

"It's all good, 'unny. Boys are retarded. Especially Oli and Chris." She said.

"I just want to go home." I said. She agreed and led the way out of the house. We decided to walk home since we didn't want to ask Oliver since he seemed mad at be before he stormed off. We walked side by side down the side walk. it wasn't that far from my house and we preoccupied ourselves with chatting.

"So I have bad news teh lay on yeh." Savvy said. I groaned.

"No more badness. I can only take so much." I said.

"I'm leaving in two days teh go back teh Rotherham. But that's only a city over and it takes like 30 minutes by car." She said. I nodded.

"Great and now I will have no one to hang out with."

"I'm sure they'll get over it." she said confidently, but something else was telling me that they won't.